The production and consumption of nectar by Eucryphia lucida (Labill.) flowers were studied at two locations in Tasmania. Flowers secreted a relatively dilute nectar (concentration 20% wt/wt). Nectar was produced continuously, although secretion rates were substantially lower at night. At dawn, flowers contained a standing crop of liquid nectar, which was rapidly dehydrated on warm days. Due to continuous daytime production, small amounts of concentrated nectar were always present in flowers; this nectar was highly attractive to insects and flowers received multiple insect visitors. Nectar production was independent of temperature and humidity and was not affected by local shading. Flowers protected from insect visitors and in which nectar was allowed to accumulate showed no evidence of reabsorption of sugar. Patterns of nectar production in E. lucida are interpreted in terms of maximising the frequency of insect visits to flowers in a cool temperate environment in which weather conditions during anthesis can be highly variable.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Research Division:	Biological Sciences
Research Group:	Plant biology
Research Field:	Plant biology not elsewhere classified
Objective Division:	Environmental Management
Objective Group:	Terrestrial systems and management
Objective Field:	Terrestrial biodiversity
UTAS Author:	Mallick, S (Dr Stephen Mallick)
ID Code:	22401
Year Published:	2001
Web of Science® Times Cited:	3
Deposited By:	Geography and Environmental Studies
Deposited On:	2001-08-01
Last Modified:	2002-05-09
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